Matt Plescher

ARTIST STATEMENT

In my paintings, I try to show the contrast and overlap of natural forms and human patterns. I lived for a number of years in Alaska spending time in the wilderness, and since moving back to Michigan I have been fascinated by the contrasts of wild places and those with human influence. I like to show the forests and other wild places that lie at the edge of fields and roadways, and the use of loose, sometimes chaotic brushwork seems to fit these natural forms. I contrast to the wild, I show our interaction with the land by incorporating structure from fields and tree lines, roadways, fence lines and sometimes by using actual historical patterns. In this way I try to balance the order and chaos that I see and respond to in the landscape. I am also fascinated with elements that can be citizens of both worlds: things like water lilies and trees can be present in both the wildest and most tamed of places.

I find beauty and truth in the landscape, the sense of something deep and beyond our grasp. I hope my paintings convey this, and that I am able to share with the viewer the way I see and experience the land.